The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1917. RUSSIAN DEMOCRATIC VICTORY.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 17 March 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1917. RUSSIAN DEMOCRATIC VICTORY.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and ‘Waimarino News).

, The compelling sensation of the moment is that contained in cables published by. us yesterday. It conics from the land that is almost equally noted with Germany for its intrigues and treachery. The Czar of Russia has abdicated and Pctrograd is seething wth revolution. Rapid and frequent changes of Government have indicated for a long time, .that leaders of Russian thought and action were not a happy family, in fact, that bitterness was becoming increasingly bitter between the liberals and nationalists, the two chief parties in Russian polities. Last year Count Sazouoff was deposed as Foreign Minister, a position he had occupied fo.r six years. During that period he estranged the Balkan peoples by acting in a manner that pleased none of them, hence wo find them in this great war largely on the side of Germany. Six years ago Sir Edward Grey brought about the entente between Britain, France, and Russia. It did seem that the arrangement had Sazanoff’s entire sympathy. He was a Liberal, one of that party which was largely pro-German, and it was with his assistance that Germany achieved so much in Asia Minor and Mesopotamia. He concluded an arrangement with Germany, well known as the Potsdam Agreement. He rendered considerable service to Germany in carrying through the Bagdad railway scheme, thus giving up the whole of Asia Minor to German economic dependence. He not only gave Russian consent to the railway to the Persian capital, but Sazon,lY undertook to finish a section of that .-cry line. These railway concessions are what Nationalist newspapers have been makng capital out of in the various changes of Government that have re; contly taken place. This is ample evidence that prior to the outbreak of the great war, and right up to the present time, the Russian court has been strongly tainted with pro-Germanism. The Nationalists, it now appears, have won over the army, and the masses of the people, and have resented the exercise of the practices of autocratic and absolute monarchy. A national Duma was elected some time ago, but Liberals wore not long before they regained the reins of Government. Scenes were of common occurrence at meetings of the

Duma, and another party with, nationalist learnings came into power. It did not reign long enough to achieve anything. Protopoff and his Ministers wore given short shift, and the Court gang, with Galatzin as Premier once more became supreme. The Duma met,, but its authority was challanged, 'and its governing powers were cut short by the issue of an ukase by the Czar dissolving that popular chamber. This brings us to the cabled news just to hand. The Duma, elected by the people, refused to be dissolved. The people of Russia, it Seems, were suffering unneccossarily by the disregard, neglect, and pro-German sympathies of the Court party. The full nature of the trouble can be gauged by the fact that the Duma rose against the Cabinet, ousted them from participation in Government, and put in their place a soldier occupying an important position on the

general staff as supreme Governor of Potrograd. The Duma appealed to population,. troops, railways, and banks to resume normal conditions, and order is swiftly returning. From the chronicling of reported intigucs in Russia,, no one need be astonished at a revolutionary movement. When the people cannot get justice owing to the action of

any party, be it trusts, combines, or even royalty, revolution will follow. Russians are not so ignorant that they can now be under-trodden or forced into any course of action. In fact, revolution in Russia was quite on the cards, but when the people’s Cabinet was appointed it was hoped that nothing of that nature would result during the war. The methods of Liberals in governing are closely related to those of the Prussian military caste. The Czar, with the friends of the Kaiser in his Court,, can at once send the popularly elected Duma about its business if it dares to stand in the w r ay of his wishes, some such eontretemp has precipitated a revolution, and thepporerw r er of the autocrat has gone for ever. It is not improbable that Russia may adopt a limited

monarchy on similar lines to that governing the British Empire, for it would be a long step from absolutism to a republic. The cables state that the movement is anti-German, and that is readily understood, when it is in opposition to a ministry that was largely composed of men who were well-known to have stong German leanings and sympathies. Russia has suffered terribly owing to the intrigues and machinations 'of these traitors; her munition factories ’ were destroyed, spies have occupied high military positions, who have betrayed Russian armies that they should have given their lives to save and render victorious. Russian lives have been sacrificed by hundreds of thousands, and the Russian people will have no more of the Prussian element in their governing institutions, or in their army. The change is one that Britain and France will have little cause to regret, as it is now the people and the army opposed to autocracy and German intrigue. It may be that the Czar has abdicated, but may remain a limited monarch, as King George is in England. The revolution is not a matter that lends itself to much discussion as only the bare facts that the greatest democratic victory for a hundred years has been achieved arc yet to hand. Russian Absolutism, for the continuance of which German influence was responsible, has gone, and nr—' wo shall have a vigorous and closer coordinated prosecution of the war to secure quick final victory.